"What I sense is there is a greater willingness among those who in the past felt that gun control measures were not as effective as some other things we could be doing. I think there's been a change of heart and a greater open-mindedness in the wake of the murder of the innocent in Connecticut for people to take a look at, especially assault weapons," O'Malley said, during a year-end roundtable discussion with reporters. "You look at some of these guns and it's just hard for anyone to conclude that these guns should be in the hands of anyone who isn't a soldier on a battlefield or a law enforcement officer sent in for a tactical situation."

O'Malley said that while his administration hadn't settled yet on specific legislation, he was focused on laws concerning assault rifles, firearms access for the mentally ill and school safety.

"I think you can count on there being several bills, and the likelihood is that there will be a bill from this administration -- the details of which we are still working on. But I think you'll see several bills. You'll probably see several bills on mental health. You'll probably see several bills on school safety," the governor said.

"Gun violence is a public health epidemic and it is impacting each and every one of us," Baltimore County Police Chief James Johnson said.

Johnson, who also chairs the National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence, highlights what many elected officials are feeling just days after the shootings in Newtown.

The gunman, Adam Lanza, killed his mother at home before driving to the school and fatally shooting 20 children and six adults. Investigators say he turned the gun on himself as first responders closed in. Authorities haven't determined a motive, but they say Lanza is believed to have used a Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle, a civilian version of the military's M-16.

Meanwhile, Sen. Brian Frosh said he and other lawmakers plan to announce on Wednesday a package of gun control legislation, including a bill to ban assault weapons. He said legislators who in the past had resisted gun control efforts have told him that they'd be willing to revisit the issue now, in light of the Connecticut shooting.

"It's a public health issue. I think people are finally starting to get it. I don't know how many of these mass killings it takes. I think people understand that having these kinds of weapons all over the place, all the time, in the hands of dangerous people is a health risk and is a threat to every single member of society - including small schoolchildren."

These same elected officials are calling for new gun control laws.

"We must take immediate action to pursue reasonable gun safety legislation, not only in our state, but in our nation and I am prepared to help each of these elected officials to make this important case," Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said.

In Howard County, executive Ken Ulman has formed a joint task force to take a closer look at school safety and mental health. He also supports taking a closer look at the current gun laws.

"Hopefully we can agree that there ought to be some basic steps that can be taken to make sure that people are responsible in owning a weapon and taking a look at what kind of weapons are appropriate to be on the street," Ulman said.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski has weighed in as well and called for a two-step approach first taking a look at the culture of violence and military assault weapons and second offering more mental health benefits.

"I think this is a watershed moment in our country, we need each other. Whether it's those who support gun control which I certainly do, with the NRA who should bring good ideas, they're citizens too we can protect the Constitution but we also have to protect our people," Mikulski said.

In Annapolis, Gov. Martin O'Malley said he supports looking into the gun issue, especially when it comes to safety.

"I don't have a bill to present to you. It's still very much a work in progress, but it is work that I would guess every state in the union is undertaking," O'Malley said.

O'Malley used Tuesday's discussion to review what he said were some of the state's accomplishments or achievements, including the creation of more than 35,500 private sector jobs in the last 12 months and a nearly 25 percent reduction in violent crime since 2006.

As far as reaction from gun supporters, WBAL-TV 11 News called several gun stores, which said guns are moving off the shelves at record rates.

For example, Duffy's Gun Room in Baltimore County said it saw about $17,000 worth of gun sales on Monday. The store said on a typical Monday it sees about $2,000 worth. Buyers 11 News talked to said they're purchasing them for protection and because of the renewed debate over gun control.

Representatives from the Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore referred us to a news release on their website which read in part:

"We find it callous and disrespectful that certain politicians and gun control advocates are so focused on their political agenda that they could not find it in their hearts to refrain from publicly exploiting this heartbreaking tragedy until after the victims had been returned to their families and loved ones."

A bizarre situation is unfolding in Baltimore in which people are paying rent to a landlord who claims he's helping fill the need for affordable housing, but there are serious questions about the living conditions inside, as well as who actually owns the homes.